Positive Behavior Supports, Differentiated Instruction, and Assistive Technology
What is Positive Behavior Support? Positive behavior support (PBS) is a systematic approach to behaviors. There are key practices that come into play that are outlined by Polloway, Patton, Serna, & Bailey-Joseph (2018) are: * Clear definitions of expected behaviors (i.e., appropriate, positive) are provided to students ''and ''staff * Clear definitions of problem behaviors ''and ''their consequences provided for students and staff * Consistent instruction and assistance regarding desired positive social behaviors is provided to give students the opportunity to acquire the necessary skills to make the behavior change * Effective (highly preferred) incentives and motivational systems are in place to encourage students to behave differently * Staff must commit to implementing the intervention over a long term period, as well as to monitoring, supporting, coaching, debriefing, and providing booster lessons for the students, as needed, to maintain achieved goals and to continue working toward others. * Staff receive training, feedback, and coaching in how to effectively implement the system * Systems for both measuring and monitoring the effectiveness of the intervention are established PBS communicates and enforces expected behaviors in a consistent manner. When the expectations are clear for staff and students, the students know what is expected of them and the consequence of not following expectations and teachers know what to enforce and how. This means that no matter which teacher, the expectations are the same across the board. There are no surprises or circumstances of Teacher A allows this but Teacher B does not. This builds a climate of mutual respect for all. While the key practices are important to the implementation of this intervention, another big piece of a positive learning environment includes the physical environment. "The classroom environment is a crucial determinant of successful teaching and learning" (Polloway et al., 2018) and is often one of the pieces that are overlooked. Some students have accommodations that relate to things like seating arrangements, access to assistive technology, but things like anchor charts for specific expectations and encouraging cooperation and sharing are also important. It's also helpful to be aware of the type of teaching you'll be doing. If students do more group work, putting desks in clusters may be more efficient. However, if there is a lot of instruction time or time they need to see the board, rows may be more effective. The arrangement of the classroom makes a difference in being able to cut down on behaviors during transitions and independent work times. Making sure all materials have a clear and specific place, that there is room to move about during transitions, having a procedure for distributing or collecting materials, and having posted expectations for transitions, fire drills, quiet talking, etc. are just a few examples of ways that setting up your environment can have an impact on student behavior. If the expectation is clear to students ahead of time, they are more likely to follow the expectation because there is no gray area. Common Techniques and Approaches to PBS The primary goal for implementing a system for behavior change is for it to be effective. Therefore, it needs to be systematic and it should be "oriented toward increasing appropriate, desirable behaviors" (Polloway, et al., 2018). Many, if not, all of these approaches and techniques have a heavy emphasis on positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is another way of saying that the student will receive a desirable consequence following an appropriate/desired behavior. These tools can be used a few different ways: # Reinforcement made contingent on specific responses you're looking to increase # Positive events can be used to reinforce a behavior that is incompatible with the one you're looking to decrease # Positively reinforce peers to show that certain actions will receive reinforcement (Polloway, et al., 2018) In order to use positive reinforcement, it's highly important to determine highly preferred reinforcers. These reinforcers could be extra recess, free time, use of technology for play, or something out of a prize box. This should be based on your students, so it may vary. Determining Reinforcement Schedules In order for your reinforcement to have the desired effect, you need to take a look at your reinforcement schedule. Using '''continuous schedule '''means that you're giving your reinforcer each time the desired behavior occurs. Using an '''intermittent schedule '''means you give your reinforcer less frequently. Continuous schedule is best for teaching and learning toward the beginning and intermittent schedule is best for maintaining or generalizing the learning (Polloway, et al., 2018). There are six types of intermittent schedules. I've created a table below outlining each type and an example. Implications for Students with Disabilities Looking specifically at group arrangements, there are many benefits for those with disabilities in a group setting. These benefits include: * promotion of observational learning * facilitation of overlearning and generalization * teaching/practicing of turn-taking * increased and better use of instructional time * more efficient student management * increased peer interaction * increased contact with the teacher (Polloway, et al., 2018) What is Differentiated Instruction? Differentiation is another way to frame the idea of individualizing instruction for each student or group of students. The idea is that "a wide range of student needs can and must be accommodated within general education classrooms" (Polloway, et al., 2018). When thinking about differentiating instruction, accommodations and modifications must be taken into account. '''Accommodations '''are changes in the process of teaching and learning, but don't change the actual content of the task given (e.g., extended time to finish the task, a scribe for written portions, separate setting, etc). '''Modifications '''are changes in the actual content presented or standards (e.g., in a language course, the student may be required to study the culture in place of study of the language itself). Differentiation can apply to textual materials, instruction, product/assignments, homework, testing, etc. Changes for Special Education Teachers For a long time, special education classrooms have been specifically self-contained or specifically a resource-room type system. As inclusion became the norm, special education teachers have had to shift their role to meet the needs of a changing system. "Hoover and Patton (2008) identified five critical areas in which special educators must become highly proficient within the context of the demands of teaching in schools today: data-driven decision maker, implementer of evidence-based intervention, implementer of socioemotional/behavioral supports (i.e., manager of behavior), differentiator of instruction, and collaborator" (Polloway, et al., 2018). As the role of a special education teacher continues to change, teacher prep programs must ensure that these different skills are covered in coursework. Evidence-based Instructional Interventions Evidence-based interventions are "treatments that have been proven effective (to some degree) through outcome evaluations" (University of Missouri, 2011). Also according to University of Missouri (2011), there are three "EBI fine print" features to know about. The first is that EBI are validated for a specific purpose and population. If an EBI is matched with a problem it's not designed to work with, it's not likely to work. The second, is that EBI assumes that the treatment is used in the way it is intended. Changing parts of the intervention can result in the EBI being invalidated. The third and last fine print feature is that EBI are validated with large-group research or with a series of smaller group studies. While a large group is great for documenting the intervention, it does happen that there are cases of large groups in which the intervention was not effective. "It is critical to remember that even the most effective interventions are often ineffective with a specific case" (University of Missouri, 2011). I've linked a site here that gives specific examples of evidence-based interventions that you can search by subject or grade level. If you're interested in reading more specifics about the ''how ''of EBI, take a look at this site here from the University of Missouri. Assistive Technology According to Assistive Technology Industry Association (2019), "assistive technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment, software program, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities." Assistive Technology (AT) is helpful for those with difficulty speaking, typing, writing, seeing, and remembering, just to name a few. The assistive technology will vary based on the person's disability. It could be low-tech like a printed out communication board, it could be high-tech, like a special computer, it could be hardware like prosthetic, or positioning devices. There is an endless list of assistive technology. See this site here for further examples and information regarding assistive technology.